Auto Increment Version in VB 2005

  • Thread starter Thread starter vul
  • Start date Start date
V

vul

In VB6 there is Auto Increment check box in Project Properties, which allow
you have a new version every time you compile the project.
Is there any easy way to have this feature in VB 2005?
Some of my blocks of code check and compare versions of EXE and DLLs located
on the local workstation and the server. So it's very important for me to
have an incremented number in case the project was rebuilt. It can be done
manually, of course, but I miss VB6 feature.

Thank you
Al
 
vul said:
In VB6 there is Auto Increment check box in Project Properties, which allow
you have a new version every time you compile the project.
Is there any easy way to have this feature in VB 2005?
Some of my blocks of code check and compare versions of EXE and DLLs located
on the local workstation and the server. So it's very important for me to
have an incremented number in case the project was rebuilt. It can be done
manually, of course, but I miss VB6 feature.
Click to expand...

In VB 2005, the version number is incremented when you Publish the app.

1. Right click on the project and choose Properties
2. Click on the Publish tab
3. At the bottom you will see Publish Version and a check box to auto
increment it.
 
You can open the AssemblyInfo.vb file directly and change the following
lines:

' You can specify all the values or you can default the Build and Revision
Numbers
' by using the '*' as shown below:
' <Assembly: AssemblyVersion("1.0.*")>

<Assembly: AssemblyVersion("1.0.0.0")>

The second AssemblyVersion line uses a fixed assembly version, the first
(that's commented out) uses a "sequencial". Its sequencial in the fact that
it encodes the date & time of the build that is set VS started (multiple
builds within one VS session will normally have the same build & revision
numbers).

Alternatively you can set the various parts of the Assembly Version fields
to * under "Project - xxx Properties - Application - Assembly Information"


Alternatively there are various "add-ins" available for MSBuild (the
underlying build engine in VB 2005) that will autoincrement the assembly
version, such as:

http://weblogs.asp.net/bradleyb/archive/2005/12/02/432150.aspx


--
Hope this helps
Jay B. Harlow [MVP - Outlook]
..NET Application Architect, Enthusiast, & Evangelist
T.S. Bradley - http://www.tsbradley.net


| In VB6 there is Auto Increment check box in Project Properties, which
allow
| you have a new version every time you compile the project.
| Is there any easy way to have this feature in VB 2005?
| Some of my blocks of code check and compare versions of EXE and DLLs
located
| on the local workstation and the server. So it's very important for me to
| have an incremented number in case the project was rebuilt. It can be done
| manually, of course, but I miss VB6 feature.
|
| Thank you
| Al
|
|
 
Jay said:
You can open the AssemblyInfo.vb file directly and change the following
lines:

' You can specify all the values or you can default the Build and Revision
Numbers
' by using the '*' as shown below:
' <Assembly: AssemblyVersion("1.0.*")>
Click to expand...

Hi Jay

In Jeffry Richter's book, "Applied Microsoft .Net Framework
Programming", Microsoft Press, 2002, he says not to use that feature:

Quote:

The CSC.exe and AL.exe tools support the ability to automatically
increment the assembly version number with each build. This feature is
a bug and shouldn't be used because changing the assembly version
number will break any assemblies that reference this assembly. The
AssemblyInfo.cs file that Visual Studio .Net automatically creates for
you when you create a new project is in error: it sets the
AssemblyVersion attribute so that its major and minor parts are 1.0 and
that the build and revision parts are automatically updated by the
compiler. You should definitely modify this file and hard-code all
four parts of the assembly version number.

End Quote

Do you know if the issues he refers to still exist in VS2005?

Just curious.

Chris
 
Chris,
thank you.
I'm working on Class Library project (DLL) in VB 2005.
DLL is going to be on the server and VB6 client will compare the versions of
DLL on the workstation and on the server, in case they are different the
workstation DLL will be replaced with the server instance.
Of course I can manually increment the version number, but it's an extra
step, and being spoiled by VB6 auto increment, it's possible to forget to do
that.
Unfortunately I do not see Publish Tab in Project properties for Class
Library project. I have that tab for Wondows Application project though.

Al
 
Chris,
I agree with his statement 99%, especially when you don't rebuild all
related projects at the same time. I wouldn't say its a bug as much as
intended behavior! You want the referencing assemblies to break if you make
a "material" changes aka a breaking change. The compile is just assuming
that *ALL* changes are "material" changes.

I use the feature extensively as I normally have all related projects in a
single solution & rebuild all at the same time... Also with refactoring its
not uncommon for me to very easily introduce a material change. Ergo I'm
assuming that *ALL* my changes are "material" changes.

FWIW:
<quote>
| You should definitely modify this file and hard-code all
| four parts of the assembly version number.
</quote>
Is also a bug waiting to happen, if you make a "material" change in one
assembly & forget to increment the version #, then the assembly will
continue to load & run. If the "material" change is such that it is rarely
executed, it could be a while before the change causes your program to
crash.

| Do you know if the issues he refers to still exist in VS2005?
Yes.



--
Hope this helps
Jay B. Harlow [MVP - Outlook]
..NET Application Architect, Enthusiast, & Evangelist
T.S. Bradley - http://www.tsbradley.net


| Jay B. Harlow [MVP - Outlook] wrote:
| > You can open the AssemblyInfo.vb file directly and change the following
| > lines:
| >
| > ' You can specify all the values or you can default the Build and
Revision
| > Numbers
| > ' by using the '*' as shown below:
| > ' <Assembly: AssemblyVersion("1.0.*")>
| >
|
| Hi Jay
|
| In Jeffry Richter's book, "Applied Microsoft .Net Framework
| Programming", Microsoft Press, 2002, he says not to use that feature:
|
| Quote:
|
| The CSC.exe and AL.exe tools support the ability to automatically
| increment the assembly version number with each build. This feature is
| a bug and shouldn't be used because changing the assembly version
| number will break any assemblies that reference this assembly. The
| AssemblyInfo.cs file that Visual Studio .Net automatically creates for
| you when you create a new project is in error: it sets the
| AssemblyVersion attribute so that its major and minor parts are 1.0 and
| that the build and revision parts are automatically updated by the
| compiler. You should definitely modify this file and hard-code all
| four parts of the assembly version number.
|
| End Quote
|
| Do you know if the issues he refers to still exist in VS2005?
|
| Just curious.
|
| Chris
|
 
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